﻿Gratitude Gourmet(tm)﻿

In The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude, Brian Patton shares 100 vegan recipes, including cocktails, breakfast sandwiches, Bourbon Tempeh Sliders, and desserts such as Sailor Peanut Rum Ice Cream. There are appetizers and nachos, pizza and tuna-like sandwiches as well as plenty of salads, pasta, and main dish choices. Just note the book's language is a bit racy... so it's a cookbook for adults.

As for a recipe I'm featuring on this article, I love SPICY and FLAVORFUL food so I've included Brian's Jambalaya Recipe at the end of this article.

Check out Brian's Story:Patton taught himself the craft of cooking by preparing meals for his parents and his culinary education continued when he moved to Los Angeles and found a cooking job where he learned the ins and outs of professional cooking. From there, he was hired by Veggin' Out, a vegan home delivery service, where he eventually was promoted to the Executive Chef position he enjoys today.

As the only meat eater when he first started working at Vegin’ Out, Patton decided to see what would happen if he became vegan for one month. “After this animal product–free month, I had more energy and I lost about eight pounds, so I thought I’d give it another month, and then another month,” writes Patton. “My energy continued to skyrocket. I was becoming healthy on the inside, which was beginning to show on the outside: my complexion improved, the whites of my eyes got whiter, and after ten months, I’d lost sixty pounds!”

Patton has been a vegan ever since, but as a regular dude he still wanted to eat sandwiches, sliders, onion rings, pizza, and to enjoy a cocktail or two, so he started compiling easy, failure-proof vegan recipes that worked with his lifestyle. Then in late 2006, he began sharing them on his very own cooking demonstration show on YouTube called the Sexy Vegan, where his fun and lively style quickly developed a large and loyal fan base. You can visit Brian online and watch his fun cooking videos here: http://www.thesexyvegan.com. Enjoy the JAMBALAYA Recipe thanks to Brian!Serves 44 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil1 cup diced celery1 cup diced red bell pepper1 cup diced yellow onion3 cloves garlic, mincedSalt1 teaspoon dried thyme1/4 teaspoon cayenne1/2 teaspoon dried oregano1/2 teaspoon onion powder1/2 teaspoon paprikaOne 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes4 Pretend Chipotle Sausages (see recipe)Pepper4 cups cooked brown rice1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

In a pot, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the veggies are soft. Add the thyme, cayenne, oregano, onion powder, and paprika, and stir to coat the veggies. Cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a grill, grill pan, or medium skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the sausages with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, and place on the hot grill or skillet. Let brown for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Cut the sausages on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-thickslices. When the sauce is done, season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, place rice in the bottom of each bowl, ladle some sauce over the rice, and top with the sausages. Garnish with the parsley.

In a small pot, cover the potatoes with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chunks easily fall apart when you put a fork through them. Drain the potatoes well and, while they’re still hot, gently mash with a fork until there are no chunks left, or pass through a potato ricer. Set aside to cool. In a bowl, whisk together the wheat gluten, seitan seasoning, chili flakes, fennel seeds, and chickpea flour. In a food processor or blender, puree the tamari, water, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and beans. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, add them and the bean mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mash it all together with your hands to form a soft dough,making sure there are no dry parts remaining. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes before using. You can also wrap it in plastic and store it in the refrigerator for later use. It will last for 5 days. Form the dough into a loaf-like shape and cut it in half. Then cut those halves in half. Finally, cut the halves of the halves into five-sixteenths...just kidding, cut them in half. Now you’ll have 8 portions. Roll them into cigar-like shapes, 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Loosely roll each portion in foil and twist the ends of the foil to seal the packet. Remember to leave some room for expansion. Using a steamer basket, steam for 1 hour. If you want crispier outsides, after the sausages have steamed, fry them in a skillet or grill them with a little olive oil for a couple of minutes, until browned.

VARIATION: Pretend Chipotle SausagesOmit the chili flakes and add 1 or 2 chipotle peppers (depending on how hot you like it) to the food processor or blender before you puree the wet ingredients.